All the Same
by pandorabox82
Summary: Alex and Spencer find a moment to themselves amongst the happiness of their friends. Written to promote the Profiler Choice Awards


Alex stared at Spencer from across the room. She wasn't really certain why she had accepted the offer to head out to the bar with the team, but she found that once she was there, she couldn't stop watching him. It seemed like everyone had paired off in the month since Erin had returned and JJ and Will had broken things off. All around them were happy couples, blissfully unaware of the unhappiness around them.

Spencer was wearing his differently, which might help to explain why the others couldn't tell that something was wrong. She knew, though, from the way he was reticent to spout off random trivia or facts about, well, anything, recently. And she, she was brooding, a bit snappish, and holding everyone at arm's length. Oh, she was fairly certain that Erin knew she had ended things with James, that she could still read her like an open book, but she hadn't brought it up. In fact, she hadn't really talked to her at all since her return. Which Alex also understood, but it also hurt her.

The younger man looked at her suddenly, and she knew in that moment that she had been found out. Giving him a small shrug, she sipped at her beer before setting the glass down forcefully. Erin also looked over at her, a small frown crossing her lips as she reached out to caress her hand gently. "If you need to talk, my ear is open, Alex. I have a lot of time, now that I'm retired."

Alex nodded and then looked away from her, unable to see the tender compassion in Erin's eyes for very long. Staring down into her beer, she began to feel eyes on her and she looked up to see Spencer watching her intently, a strange smile on his face. She frowned, and he returned her shrug, which made her smile a little. "Hey, Blake, do you want to get out of here? I really want to finish this article I'm writing for the journal."

Her shoulders slumped in relief and she nodded, giving him a wider smile. "That sounds wonderful. You wanted me to look it over, right?" He nodded and stood, holding his hand out to her. Gratefully, she accepted it and let him lead her over to the door. "Thank you," she whispered as they made their way over to her car. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"I think that I'd like that, Alex. I think that we need to have a good, long, talk."

She tried to suppress the gasp that came to her lips, and he just smiled, quirking an eyebrow at her as she slid behind the wheel. It was definite now, he knew that she had been paying closer attention to him in the past few weeks. "Really? What do you think that we need to talk about?"

"Oh, I think you know. Lying doesn't suit you, you know. You were never good at it."

She felt her cheeks grow warm and shrugged a little. "I got to keep the house. It's rather lonely late at night."

"That's the Alex I know. Asking without ever speaking a question." She nodded slightly as she drove, feeling Spencer's eyes on her the entire way home. A nervous sense of anticipation filled her stomach and she blew out a long breath, wondering what sort of madness had befallen her that she was about to embark on an affair with a much younger colleague. "Do you think that I would honestly hurt you?"

There was a soft, wounded, tone to his voice and she winced, biting the corner of her upper lip as she pulled into her garage. "No. I think that I might hurt you. Or myself. I'm good at that." Alex allowed herself to be vulnerable in that moment, hoping that he wouldn't take the opening and use the vulnerability against her.

"Alex, you worry too much. I'm not James. I'm not Erin. I won't betray you, I promise." The earnestness in his voice melted something inside her and she sighed lightly, putting the car into park and just sitting there, her hands on the wheel. "Are we going to sit out here all night?" he lightly teased and she shrugged before slipping out of the car and hurrying over to the door.

Spencer followed closely at her heels, as if he didn't want to be left behind. She dropped her purse on the counter and stepped out of her shoes before making a break for the hall. Spencer stopped her with a soft hand on her shoulder and she came to a halt, turning to look into his eyes. They were stormy and she couldn't stop herself from leaning in and brushing her lips against his, suddenly needing to taste him in that moment.

Alex was surprised that he was the one to deepen the kiss, burying one hand in her hair, the other settling around the dip of her waist, guiding her back towards the wall. "Oh," she gasped out as he trailed his lips down the line of her neck, pausing to nip at her chin. His one hand crept up her side, cupping her breast and kneading it roughly. Her nipples stiffened at once and she arched into the touch, letting out soft coos and gasps as his thumb and forefinger pinched and tugged at the erect peak.

He began to fumble with the buttons on her blouse, and when they wouldn't come loose, he tugged at the fabric, sending them flying everywhere. The cool air felt so good against her overheated skin, and then, his mouth was attacking her neck, biting and licking in a frenzy. "Upstairs, please," she whispered, gently pulling his head away from its more pleasant pursuits.

"Yes," he groaned out, before claiming her lips once more in a searing kiss. In that moment, she knew that she would have to lead him, and she fished between their bodies for his hand, threading their fingers together as she began to tug him over to the stairs. Tolstoy had been right, unhappy people really were all the same…

**NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED FOR PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS! Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for the annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on fanfiction . net! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on this site, and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at the ProfilerChoiceAwards2013 Forum. All rules and information are on the forum. Nominations are due October 31st. All entries with ten or more categories filled out are eligible to win one of two Amazon gift cards!**


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